Archive for the ‘chocolate’ Category

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Hugo & Victor Chocolates – Unbagging and Unboxing!

Wednesday, January 30th, 2013
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We passed by the Hugo & Victor boutique recently looking for Madagascar chocolate for our annual chocolate tasting. Spotting a display of Carnet de 6 Chocolats, I purchased one to take home to try. (I also purchased a bar of Madagascar chocolate…more about that later.)

Out of the Bag

Out of the Bag
www.DiscoverParis.net

Carnet means book in French, and this little book containing six different chocolates would provide a good sampling of the type of chocolates that this company produces.

Carnet

Carnet
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Opening up the book, I saw six ganaches. A brochure listed their names: Voie lactée, Montezuma, Praliné Feuilletine, Poivre de Tasmanie, Palet or, and Framboise. If this were truly a book, it would make nice reading!

Carnet de 6 Chocolats

Carnet de 6 Chocolats
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Our tasting notes:

Voie lactée: Tender bite, sweet milk chocolate, unctuous, light caramel taste.
Montezuma: Sweet, cloying. Mango and spice flavors that overpower the chocolate.
Praliné Feuilletine: Ground hazelnut and dark chocolate. Grainy texture, like fine sand.
Poivre de Tasmanie: Spicy, peppery. Tastes like Juicy Fruit gum.
Palet or: Pure chocolate from a combination of the best cocoa beans. Melts rapidly in mouth.
Framboise: Has a nice odor of raspberry and dark chocolate. Strong raspberry flavor. Slightly grainy with raspberry seeds.

We enjoyed these chocolates from Hugo & Victor. As for the bar of Madagascar chocolate, read how that fared in our annual chocolate tasting in the February issue of our Paris Insights newsletter.

Hugo & Victor
40, boulevard Raspail
75007 Paris
Telephone: 01.44.39.97.73
Open from Mon to Wed from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Thurs to Sat from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sun from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

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Bûche de Noël – Unboxing!

Wednesday, December 26th, 2012
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Today I purchased a bûche de Noël at Le Founil de Mouffetard.

Bûche de Noël

I took it home and started to unwrap it.

Bûche de Noël

I removed the beautiful ribbon.

Bûche de Noël

I carefully opened the box…and WOW! A bûche de Noël!

Bûche de Noël

Looking more closely, I could see Frosty the Snowman on top. And the message, written in chocolate, Joyeuses Fêtes!

Bûche de Noël

After carefully removing the bûche from the box, I took a photograph.

Bûche de Noël

And then a close-up of Frosty.

Bûche de Noël

And then, I sliced the cake and ate a piece. Scrumptious! Happy Holidays!

Slice of bûche

Le Fournil de Mouffetard
123, rue Mouffetard
75005 Paris
Tel.: 01.47.35.07.96

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Alexandra Makes Chocolates

Friday, December 14th, 2012
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Alexandra Whisnant

Alexandra Whisnant
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Alexandra Whisnant presented her chocolates last night at Mococha, our favorite chocolate shop on rue Mouffetard.

She tells us that she fell in love with chocolate while studying for her physics finals at university. Her chocolates were sublime! I’m all for science when it can produce results like this.

Alexandra Whisnat and Marie Gantois, Proprietor of Mochoca

Alexandra Whisnat, Chocolate Maker and
Marie Gantois, Proprietor of Mochoca
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Alexandra’s chocolates will be on sale at Mococha through Valentine’s Day 2013. More information about her adventures with chocolate can be found on her Web site Gâté Comme des Filles.

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Tasting deNeuville Mini-bûches de Noël

Wednesday, December 12th, 2012
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From left to right: chestnut - vanilla - truffle

Mini-bûches de Noël by deNeuville
Feuilleté Châtaigne, Délice Vanille, Truffe Meringuée
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The French chocolate company deNeuville has launched a special line of chocolates for Christmas—Mini-bûches de Noël. These are bite sized ganaches, truffles, and pralines, all with a soft interior that is enrobed in a firm chocolate shell. Colored sugar crystals sprinkled on the shell add a festive touch.

We tasted three:

The Feuilleté Châtaigne is a chestnut praline enrobed in milk chocolate. We found the chestnut flavor to be so mild that we could barely distinguish it from the flavor of the milk-chocolate shell.

The Délice Vanille is a ganache that has a creamy vanilla-flavored center encased in a crunchy dark-chocolate shell. I found the center to have the flavor of strong eggnog, which triggered memories of the days when I could drink the beverage without gaining too much weight. Those days are over, so this eggnog-laced nibble is all that I will get for this season.

The Truffe Meringuée is a dark-chocolate truffle containing tiny bits of meringue covered in a firm, dark-chocolate shell.

While industrially-produced chocolates (which these are) are always satisfactory, we nonetheless prefer the more robust flavors of chocolates produced by small, artisanal chocolate makers. We’ll have something to say about the chocolates of an American artisanal chocolate maker in the coming days.

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Tasting Bellanger Bresil 66%

Wednesday, November 28th, 2012
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Bellanger Brasil 66%

Bellanger Brasil 66%
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

A little more than a week ago, we had the privilege of attending a chocolate tasting at Mococha where we tasted three chocolates produced by Jacques Bellanger. Following the tasting, we purchased a 100g tablet of Bresil 66% and took it home to sample.

The chocolate tablet has a matte, reddish-brown color and a strong aroma of ash and burning wood. It gives a sharp snap when bitten and melts rapidly and smoothly in the mouth. The taste is mildly bittersweet with earthy notes. In short, it is a delectable chocolate!

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Tasting Zaabär Poivre du Sishuan

Wednesday, November 21st, 2012
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Zaabär - Poivre du Sishuan

Zaabär – Poivre du Sishuan
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Stopping for lunch recently at a vegetarian restaurant called Café Ginger, I spotted a display of chocolate tablets on the counter. It was a selection of a wide variety of chocolates called Zaabär Duo, packed two to a box weighing 70 grams. I selected one called Poivre du Sishuan and took it home to taste.

Each 35-gram tablet of dark chocolate is vacuum packed in aluminum foil. Opening a package releases a wonderful, rich aroma of spice and wood. The chocolate has a dull reddish-brown color. It is firm and gives a resounding crack when bitten. As it melts in the mouth, it reveals a grainy texture, like sand. These grains are bits of crushed sichuan, a spice from China. Tasting faintly like zest of lime, they feel slightly peppery in the mouth, especially at the back of the tongue. Together, the smooth chocolate and grainy sichuan are a delightful taste experience.

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Tasting Cocoa Nibs 70% Dark Chocolate

Wednesday, November 7th, 2012
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Cocoa Nibs 70% Dark Chocolate

Cocoa Nibs 70% Dark Chocolate
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

We stopped by Ambré & Sucre on avenue Gobelins and purchased a 100g tablet of Cocoa Nibs 70% Dark Chocolate from Corinne Blum, the proprietor of the store.

The chocolate contains crushed cocoa beans (nibs) that have been caramelized. When the chocolate is allowed to melt slowly on the tongue, a hint of the caramel coating of the nibs becomes apparent. The caramel is not strong, however, as the nibs provide more texture than they do flavor. When the chocolate is bitten into, the chewy nibs give a satisfying crunch. The chocolate itself is velvety and slightly sweet, leaving a strong chocolate aftertaste at the back of the tongue.

Ambré et Sucre

Ambré et Sucre
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Ambre & Sucre is the sole distributor of Cachet brand chocolate in Paris.

Ambre & Sucre
10 bis, avenue des Gobelins
75005 Paris
Tel.: 01.43.37.39.64
Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Metro: Gobelins (Line 7)

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Tasting Rrraw 88% Cacao Pépites

Wednesday, October 24th, 2012
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Rrraw 88% Cacao Pépites

Rrraw 88% Cacao Pépites
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

We stopped by Marie-Hélène Gantois’ chocolate shop Mococha just yesterday to learn about a new product that she is featuring. It is called Rrraw and is produced by local chocolate-maker Frédéric Marr. He is one of the few in France who transform cocoa beans into chocolate and then into chocolate confections, rather than creating chocolate confections from chocolate that has already been processed from the bean.

Even more exceptionally, Marr’s chocolate confections are made from cocoa beans that have not been roasted, hence the name “Rrraw” (meaning “raw”) that he gives to his chocolate. Most chocolate makers roast their cocoa beans—Frédéric Marr does not. The resulting raw-chocolate confection has a pronounced earthy flavor.

We purchased a 50-gram bar called 88% Cacao Pépites. True to its name, it is a dark chocolate with grainy texture and an earthy taste that is neither too sweet nor too bitter. Its only ingredients are raw cocoa-bean, cane sugar, cocoa butter, and salt.

Rrraw chocolate is available at Marie’s shop until December 15.

Mococha
89, rue Mouffetard
75005 Paris
Telephone: 01.47.07.13.66
Open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

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Lemon & Pepper Chocolate

Wednesday, October 17th, 2012
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Cachet Lemon and Pepper

Cachet Lemon & Pepper
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

While exploring the chocolate boutique Ambre & Sucre on avenue des Gobelins in Paris, I came upon a dark chocolate called Lemon & Pepper. I purchased a tablet and took it home to taste.

The tablet has a matte finish and contains a minimum of 57% chocolate. To the taste, it has a light lemon flavor with a long, slightly hot, peppery finish. The chocolate melts slowly in the mouth and has little crunchy pepper granules, like grains of sand, that “tickle the tongue.”

This is one of the nicest flavored chocolates that we have tasted in a long time!

Ambre & Sucre is the sole distributor of Cachet brand chocolate in Paris.

Ambre & Sucre
10 bis, avenue des Gobelins
75005 Paris
Tel.: 01.43.37.39.64
Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Metro: Gobelins (Line 7)

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Uganda Chocolate 80%

Wednesday, September 19th, 2012
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Cachet Uganda 80%

Cachet Uganda 80%
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

We purchased a 100-gram tablet of Cachet brand dark chocolate from Uganda at the Ambre & Sucre chocolate boutique on avenue des Gobelins in Paris. The tablet is made from 80% forastero coco beans, the most common chocolate bean on the market. “Common” does not mean mediocre however, because the tablet gives off a wonderfully fragrant aroma of chocolate. It has a matte finish, is firm to the bite, and has a soft, almost silky texture in the mouth as it dissolves. Even though it contains 80% dark chocolate, the tablet does not taste bittersweet…just the pleasant, intense, earthy flavor of chocolate comes through!

Ambre & Sucre is the sole distributor of Cachet brand chocolate in Paris.

Ambre & Sucre
10 bis, avenue des Gobelins
75005 Paris
Tel.: 01.43.37.39.64
Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Metro: Gobelins (Line 7)

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